Chapter 002: Bidding

At that moment, the crowded crowd around seemed to be pushed aside by someone, and then a short, fat man stepped forward. His clothes were even more luxurious than those of the merchant on the platform, with a pair of sideburns on his face. He was accompanied by a dozen guards in combat gear, each carrying a long sword at their waist—clearly, this short, fat man was no ordinary person.
His cold gaze fell on Du Fan and Old Mark, and a hint of hostility flashed in his eyes.
But Old Mark seemed oblivious, calmly saying, “Fifty gold coins!”
The short, fat man frowned, made a gesture, and then saw three or five guards draw their long swords and approach. The crowd instinctively stepped back, and soon only Du Fan and the others were surrounded by those guards.
Only then did the short, fat man turn his gaze to the platform, glance at the merchant, and seem to sneer, saying, “One hundred gold coins—is that all?”
The merchant on the platform also seemed to fear this short, fat man. He quickly nodded, just as someone else started bidding.
But by then, Du Fan had already looked around before lazily saying, “Why rush to bid? I haven’t bid yet… Two hundred gold coins! Is that enough?”
Du Fan deliberately imitated the short, fat man’s speech, which sounded somewhat similar, and faint laughter arose from the crowded crowd.
The merchant on the platform now looked troubled. Initially, a high bid for the slave was good news for him. But he recognized the short, fat man below—the man was a manager from Count Christopher’s household, named Ida, a person with some power. Even some slave traders didn’t dare offend him… so how could he dare?
As for the other bidder, who still smiled cheerfully despite being surrounded by over a dozen guards, he must also be someone important. After all, being able to bid calmly in such a situation meant either being foolish or truly powerful—there must be some backing.
Neither of these two types of people was someone a mere slave trader like him could afford to offend.
Meanwhile, the slave merchant on the platform was sweating profusely, while the short, fat man Ida carefully observed Du Fan.

He could get along well in such situations; after all, he wasn’t reckless. He also knew there were countless wealthy nobles in the capital. Although he had always acted tyrannically by relying on his family’s power, he wasn’t willing to offend just anyone. It was easier to deal with minor nobles or small merchants, but he certainly didn’t want to offend those of true status. At this moment, Du Fan’s behavior and his apparent dignity made him somewhat puzzled. After thinking for a while, Ida still felt it was better not to offend this seemingly ordinary yet seemingly noble young man. It was just a few slaves—really not worth offending someone over. Realizing this, Ida waved his hand, and the guards surrounding Du Fan and the others immediately stepped back. He nodded at Du Fan from a distance as a greeting. But Du Fan ignored him completely, merely observing the merchant on the platform with interest. Seeing this, the merchant understood that Ida had made some concessions. He quickly tapped his walking stick loudly and said, “Two hundred gold coins, two hundred gold coins! These slaves belong to this young master!” Unintentionally, the term “sir” had turned into “young master,” showing that the merchant had given up trying to negotiate further. But Du Fan just smiled without saying much. Old Mark was about to take the tag, but Du Fan shook his head and said, “No rush. Wait until we’re done looking… There’s no need to buy them all at once.” The merchant, who had been waiting for Old Mark to take the tag, saw Du Fan’s expression and quickly stepped down from the platform himself. With great respect, he handed over a wooden tag and bowed repeatedly, saying, “Young master, once you’ve had your fill of looking, just take the tag and go to the back to pick them up.” Du Fan glanced at him and nodded, and then Old Mark took the tag. Only after seeing the tag taken did the merchant breathe a sigh of relief. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he climbed back onto the platform. He had originally planned to say something, but couldn’t bring himself to speak, so he simply waved his hand to signal that the next batch of goods should be brought in. A huge iron cage was slowly pushed down, and this time, about a dozen men in samurai armor were brought in. Each of them was handcuffed, yet they all seemed to carry a certain dignity, staring coldly at the people below.

After swallowing the substance, the slave trader raised his voice and said, “Gentlemen, although these aren’t soldiers this time, they are all warriors! True warriors! Each of these warriors has mastered combat energy—far beyond ordinary warriors! Those interested, please bid!”
Hearing this, Du Fan couldn’t help frowning and asked, “Can warriors also be sold as slaves?”
Old Mark beside him nodded and explained, “Most of these warriors were captured for violating imperial laws. Perhaps their crimes weren’t punishable by death, so they were turned into slaves…”
Du Fan nodded and said, “So these people…”
Old Mark understood what Du Fan meant and nodded in response, “They’re usable! Young master, look at the demeanor of these warriors—they’re open and honest, clearly not thinking they’ve done anything wrong. Most of them probably killed their opponents in duels by accident or made mistakes while serving nobles, which led to this fate. But overall, they’re far better than those worthless warriors out there.”
Du Fan nodded slightly and said, “Very good. I want these people too!”
However, while Du Fan and Old Mark were talking, the short, fat Ida had already seen the value of this batch of slaves. Without waiting for Du Fan and the others to speak, he loudly bid, “Sixty gold coins!”
Ida’s bid immediately made some others in the crowd who were also interested in these slaves sigh. It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford the price; they just didn’t want to compete with Ida.
Du Fan made a gesture.
Old Mark beside him calmly said, “One hundred gold coins!”
This time, Ida glanced at Du Fan’s side, already showing some dissatisfaction…
This young man—he had already shown him courtesy earlier, yet he still defied him like this. Was he really that ungrateful?
Ida glanced at Du Fan a few more times before suddenly seeming to sneer, then gave a few instructions to the guard beside him.
Soon, the guard strode up to Du Fan, bowed slightly, and said, “Young master, our master Ida has said that he has already shown you courtesy regarding the previous matter… As for these people, it was our master who took an interest in them first. He wants to buy them to serve as guards at Count Christopher’s estate. Please, young master, show some courtesy and avoid damaging our relationship.”
His words were quite skillful—neither too soft nor too harsh, while also highlighting their own status. It seemed Ida wasn’t some reckless person after all.
Count Christopher?

After pondering for a moment, Du Fan had no particular impressions of this person in his mind. He then glanced at Old Mark. Old Mark naturally understood what his young master meant and said in a low voice, “Young master, Count Christopher is part of Prince Fischer’s faction. He previously held the position of deputy finance minister. With the Berlinger family now fallen, it’s only a matter of time before that finance minister position falls to him!” A man from Prince Fischer’s faction? Old Mark’s explanation made Du Fan sneer—seemingly… Count Christopher wasn’t that remarkable after all… Moreover, Du Fan had come today to find someone to help him form his own private army. With such a valuable asset available, even if it were Prince Fischer himself, he probably wouldn’t pass it up. Du Fan smiled slightly and simply nodded at Old Mark. Understanding, Old Mark took out a small silver badge from his pocket and handed it to the guard. The guard had expected Du Fan to say a few polite words and end things amicably, but instead, Old Mark handed him a badge. It was the first time he had encountered such a situation, and he was utterly confused, yet he quickly delivered the badge to his master. When Ida saw his subordinate return with a small silver badge, he took it casually and glanced at it—his expression immediately changed. The badge was about half the size of a palm, engraved with the image of an eagle, bearing a faintly ancient appearance… There seemed to be a trace of blood energy emanating from it as well… Ida’s expression changed instantly. To have reached the position of chief manager, his judgment was already quite sharp. In the imperial capital, the eagle symbolized only the Green family… He glanced at Du Fan again. Although Du Fan’s face was unclear, his aura was awe-inspiring. Remembering his master’s instructions and looking at the badge in his hand, how could Ida not guess Du Fan’s identity!?